Madison County receives $4.5 million for communications gear

WAMPSVILLE >> More upgrades are coming to the Madison County 911 communications center.

Madison County has received word that it received a $4.1 million state Homeland Security grant for its 911 Center and Sheriff's Department.

Grants were awarded to 29 counties across the state to improve first responder communications and to promote a network of regional partnerships. The awards help expand radio coverage within and between counties.

With this grant go-around, $102 million was given out.

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These awards represent the second round of funding through the statewide Interoperable Communications Grant program, a multi-year competitive grant supported by the state cellphone tax.

The money is used by counties to enhance communications services.

Mellissa Hannan, assistant 911 director in Madison County, said the money will primarily be used for upgrading the radio consoles in the 911 Center. The last time they were upgraded was in 2005.

The consoles will be upgraded, not replaced. "This brings everything up to date," she said.

The recording system at the 911 Center will also be replaced. Hannan says many people don't realize it, but all the center's calls are recorded.

GPS locator devices will also be installed in all the Sheriff's Department patrol cars. Hannan said that some time down the road, the 911 Center hopes that all police vehicles in Madison County will be so equipped. New York State Troopers already have vehicle locators that may be compatible with equipment that the county is looking to buy.

So, the county received this grant money. What's the next step?

Paul Hartnett, 911 Center director, is pricing out all of the equipment.

The grant is also paying for security cameras at all of the signal tower sites. There are 14 towers. Previously, Hannan said that fittings that ground the towers have been stolen for the copper. The cameras will take a picture of anyone near the towers; images will be viewable in the 911 Center.

The towers were part of the county's $19 million upgrade and changeover of emergency communications to a digital signal platform, replacing the analog system that had been in use for more than 30 years.

Sheriff's vehicles will also have mobile data terminals installed. Often when police are asking for driver's license info, they radio it in to the 911 system and the info is read back to them over the air. They then have to remember all the info. With the new mobile data terminals, which look like laptop computers, they can have more information available to them in the vehicle, and won't have to ask 911 operators to repeat information, Hannan said.

"We were obviously excited to receive notification of the grant award," said Madison County Sheriff Allen Riley. "This grant was a complex, joint effort of the Sheriff's Office and the Public Safety Communications Center and once again, a collaborative effort has yielded exceptional results.

"This has and will allow the county to move much quicker on required, critical enhancements to the public safety communications system, which would have otherwise taken years to realize, and will allow for significant infrastructure upgrades to the 911 Center as well as law enforcement agencies, fire and EMS providers in Madison County," Riley continued. "It also ensures that our public safety and Homeland Security posture remains a top priority."

Officials say the new digital communication system has been working out well since the official switch-over almost two months ago. By the end of April, Hannan said installation of new digital radios in all fire trucks throughout the county will be complete. Radios still need to be installed in county solid waste trucks.

However, there is one small hiccup.

Oneida City Police Chief David Meeker said that if Oneida and Sherrill police want to speak to one another, they have to call each other on their cellphones or have their radios patched through the 911 Center.

Both options are inconvenient, officials say.

However, Oneida County has joined a consortium of local counties -- including Madison County -- which are working on a plan for communications improvement.